Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance went on a charm offensive in Kenosha, Wisconsin, but seemed to emphasize the offensive more than the charm.
Donald Trump’s running mate was visiting Tenuta’s Deli for one of those politicians-meet-real-people-in-the-act photo ops that are common during the campaign season.
Vance walked around the deli, talking with the owner, employees and customers, and also ordered some food, before asking the owner what Vance thought was an important question.
“You have any food here you really don’t like? We’ll take some and feed it to the journalists on the plane,” he asked, according to a social media post by journalist Reese Gorman.
Yes, it was just a sarcastic joke, but one that revealed Vance isn’t fond of journalists, especially those who accurately report the bizarre and offensive things the Ohio senator has said about postmenopausal women, his inability to answer softball questions appropriately, and his many attacks on childless Americans.
Making fun of journalists is an all-season sport for some people, but asking a restaurant owner what items he serves that are bad while in the presence of media probably isn’t the most emotionally intelligent thing a candidate for the country’s second-highest office could do.
HuffPost reached out to the Vance campaign to find out what, if anything, was served to journalists on his plane, but no one immediately responded.
However, his joke received more than its share of social media side-eye.
Vance’s Kenosha visit had other potentially embarrassing moments.
At one point, a reporter asked him how he was preparing for his upcoming debate with Tim Walz, and he responded, “I have a friend who embellishes and lies a lot, I’m having him stand in for Tim Walz.”
As you will see in the responses to the comment, nearly everyone on social media asked him if that friend was Donald Trump.